Wood-paneled walls can be beautiful. But, if you’re looking to refresh the appearance of your home, you may be looking at wood-paneled walls and wondering how to give them an upgrade. You could tear out the paneling altogether, or even bury it underneath new drywall. But, these measures require a lot of time and may wind up being costlier than you think. So, consider a different option: giving your wood paneling a fresh coat of paint.
If your wood paneling is in relatively good condition, painting on top of it can refresh the interior of your home without the need to remove the paneling altogether. So long as you understand the proper steps, painting wood paneling isn’t a difficult task. In fact, it’s similar to painting wooden furniture in that sanding and priming the wood are crucial steps for stunning results. Follow the steps that we’ve listed below to achieve excellently-painted wood paneling for your Denver home. For additional help, reach out to your Denver home painting experts.
Should I Paint My Wood Paneling?
First off, let’s make sure that painting your wood paneling is the best option. This can be a difficult question with many factors involved. For one, the quality of the wood paneling should be considered in whether or not to paint it. Painting over high-quality wood paneling can be risky, given the value of the paneling itself. Inexpensive wood paneling, on the other hand, is less of a risk to paint over – less money is at stake!
Age is another important factor to consider in your decision of whether or not to paint wood paneling. If your paneling has paint that was added prior to 1980, it shouldn’t be sanded unless the paint has been confirmed to not have lead in it. If you test the paint and it does have lead, don’t sand it. Instead, just use a high-quality primer to ensure that the new paint will adhere properly.
Step 1: Clean
The first step in painting your wood paneling. Oil, dirt, and dust can all inhibit paint from adhering to the paneling. So, you’ll need to wash the paneling thoroughly before getting started. Use a cleaning solution containing water and trisodium phosphate, or TSP. This cleaning solution is toxic, so make sure that your home is as ventilated as possible and protect yourself with rubber gloves, goggles, a face mask, and clothing that fully covers your body (long-sleeved shirt, pants, and appropriate footgear. With a bucket of diluted TSP and a sponge, clean the wood paneling and allow it to dry completely before moving on.
Step 2: Sand
Sanding is the next step in cleaning wood paneling. First, use wood putty and a putty knife to fill in cracks and holes in the paneling. After the putty has dried, sand the paneling including the molding and trims. This can be done with 150-grit sandpaper. After you’ve sanded the panels, you should have removed the shine and roughened up the surface of the paneling. This will allow the paint to stick to the paneling. Sanding is very effective for boosting paint adhesion, but it can often be omitted with a good primer.
Step 3: Prime
Apply a coat of primer to prepare the wood paneling for painting. The primer will ensure that the wood grain and any blemishes in the wood aren’t visible after the last coat of paint has been applied. Since the primer is an essential step in painting wood paneling, the primer that you select is crucial. Wood veneer should have a shellac-based primer, while solid wood should have a water-based primer. If you need to, you may pick a primer that’s tinted according to the color that the paneling will be painted.
Some primers are labeled “stain-blocking”. Ensure that the primer you choose has this feature. A Stain-blocking primer will help conceal knots in the wood paneling.
Step 4: Paint
Now, it’s finally time to paint. Start at the top and apply a thin first coat of paint to the paneling. Ensure that you also paint the gaps in between the panels. With a brush, get rid of any extra paint that accumulates in the grooves of the panels. Once the initial coat has dried, apply a second coat. After the second coat is done, paint the trim.
With properly painted wood paneling, your Denver interiors will stand out. For additional home painting help in Denver, contact Brush Strokes Painting today.
